You are
by yikes-a-bear
Summary: :COMPLETE!: Twitty has finally admitted to his crush on Ren, who's just broken up with Bobby. Will English class, music, and a little help from Tawny, Ruby (and Louis?) bring them together?
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Don't own Even Stevens.  
  
"Is she still in there?" Twitty asked, peering around the hallway to Ren's closed door. "She's been in her room, like, all day."  
  
"Yep," Louis said disinterestedly, "and let me tell you, I find it very fascinating and SO worth talking about right now. Anyway, dude, we gotta get our songs organized."  
  
"What?" Twitty asked, still looking at Ren's closed door.  
  
"Songs? You know, for the band? As in people playing musical instruments and singing songs in front of other people?" Louis said with a mixture of impatience and sarcasm.  
  
Tawny looked at Twitty sympathetically, and then rolled her eyes at Louis. "Louis, you are SUCH a clueless wonder sometimes."  
  
Louis gestured dramatically to Twitty. "ME? ME?!?!? I'M the clueless wonder???? HaHAhaha," he squeaked, his face getting redder as his voice got louder.  
  
"Louis, CHILL," Tawny said, touching his arm gently. "We don't want you to have to go back to Temper Tantrum...."  
  
"For the last time, " Louis interrupted, wagging his finger, "I just happen to SPEAK VERY LOUDLY sometimes!! Why can't you people understand THAT????" he yelled as Tawny led him down the stairs.  
  
Twitty tried to ignore Louis's ranting as he shuffled closer to Ren's door. He could hear the plaintive tones of a song coming from under the door, although he couldn't quite make out what song it was.  
  
He moved closer, ready to knock on her door, but paused, biting his lip. What was he doing? He was Louis' best friend, not Ren's. To Ren, it wouldn't make any sense for him to be knocking on her door and asking her if everything was okay. She'd be too astonished that Twitty had even noticed that Bobby had broken up with her a week ago that he doubted she would even listen to his reassurances. She didn't know anything about him and how.well, he didn't want to think about THAT right now. He stepped back, sighed, and started to walk down the stairs, cringing as he heard Louis howling downstairs about how calm and in control he was of his emotions.   
  
. . . .  
Principal Wexler clasped his hands together as he smiled at Ren, who was sitting across the desk from him. "So Ren, I think your 8th grade-to-7th grade tutoring and mentoring project is a terrific idea. As usual, of course."  
  
Despite the sadness of the past week, Ren beamed. This project would not only earn her more service hours, it would do something more important -- get her mind off of Bobby, and ensure that there was no conceivable way she could accidentally run into him somewhere after school. "I think that if the 8th grade students are grouped with 7th grade students according to the subjects they can help with and need help with, respectively, it will not only help improve overall school grades but also help remove some of the rivalry between our two classes." "What can I say but - brilliant as always Ren." He took the stack of 8th grade mentor volunteer applications and placed them next to his computer. "I'll start going through the 7th grade volunteers' subject files and start matching up students after lunch. Come back after the final bell and I should have them ready."  
  
. . . .  
"Come on, Ruby," Ren pleaded as she led her best friend down the main hallway. "We have to get the names of our mentorees and then find them before they leave for the day."  
  
Ruby hugged her notebook and grinned. "Maybe you'll get someone cute Ren," she smiled. "To help you forget all about Bobby, you know? The Junior High Spring Formal is coming up soon and."  
  
Ren let out an irritated sigh. "Ruby, this is a tutoring and mentoring project, not a dating service," she frowned. "Even if I was tutoring the guy of my dreams, why would I want to go to a dance with someone a year younger than me anyway?"  
  
Ruby raised her eyebrows cryptically. "Like I told you before Ren, younger guys are so in style this year."  
  
"Whatever," Ren rolled her eyes as she opened the door to Principal Wexler's office.  
  
"Ah Ren, now we can start." Principal Wexler smiled as she and Ruby moved to stand behind about a half dozen other eighth graders. "Thank you all for your help with this project," he said. "Here are your assignments." Ren and Ruby were the last to get their papers, and filed out behind the rest of the students into the hallway.  
  
"Tawny Dean?" Ruby asked astonishedly. "What class could she be having problems with? Oh," Ruby nodded. "Home Ec." She smiled. "It'll be fun passing along my culinary genius to Tawny. So," she craned her neck to try and look at Ren's sheet, "Who'd you get?"  
  
Ren stood, frozen, her mouth hanging open in astonishment. "I got --- Alan Twitty?"  
  
Ruby grabbed the paper out of Ren's hands. "Well Ren, you are quite the genius at English and Lit. And you are editor of the paper, after all. So who would be better to help Alan in English?" Ruby examined her friend's expression closely. "Is there some reason you wouldn't be able to work with him Ren? Uhm, Ren?"  
  
Ren shook her head and smiled weakly at Ruby. "No, no, none at all."  
  
. . . .  
Ren muttered to herself as she walked down the seventh grade hallway towards the park outside where the two grades ate lunch together and where many of them often hung out after school. How perfect, she said to herself. You come up with a brilliant idea to get your mind off of Bobby, and instead you get stuck babysitting your annoying little brother's best friend. NEAT, Ren.  
  
. . . .  
"Twitty, why don't you just TELL her?" Tawny asked for what felt to her like the thousandth time.  
  
Twitty looked around nervously, hoping and praying that Louis wouldn't walk in on the middle of their conversation. Louis had a habit of overreacting and, well, the whole tempter tantrum thing and everything. He didn't want to even think what Louis would do and say if he told him.  
  
"That you've has a crush on her since the 3rd grade?" Tawny finished his thoughts for him.  
  
"No, I - I can't do that," Twitty said, looking across the table at Tawny while he fidgeted nervously with his book bag. "I mean - what would SHE say? And ohgeez what would LOUIS say? Or DO?"  
  
Tawny shook her head. "Alan, sometimes you have to just DO something no matter what might happen. You have to just do what's in your heart, you know?"  
  
Twitty snorted. "Like YOU should talk."  
  
"We are NOT talking about me and Louis right now," Tawny hissed as she also looked nervously around the park for any sign of Louis. "We are talking about YOU and Ren!"  
  
"Oh come on," Twitty sighed. "Ren is PERFECT. She is beautiful, and smart, and she's really good at helping other people, and . she's beautiful," he stammered under Tawny's curious gaze. "I am barely passing English -- I can't volunteer to help anyone else because I can barely help myself! So why would she want anything to do with me, you know, like THAT?"  
  
Tawny threw her arms up in defeat and sighed. "Anyway," Tawny swiftly changed the subject, not knowing what else to say, "aren't we supposed to be meeting our mentor. tutor. whatever-ers out here?"  
  
"Yeah - and I'm actually looking forward to this," Twitty said. "I can get help passing English class and get my mind off of things and, you know, off of." He suddenly looked up, turning paler than Tawny. "Ren?" 


	2. Chapter 2

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"So, I'll see you at my house at 4, right?" Ren said, shifting her weight impatiently. The sooner I get this over with, the better, she scowled to herself.  
  
"Uhm, sure, okay, yeah," Twitty stammered as he looked up at Ren.  
  
"See you later Ruby," Tawny smiled as Ren started to walk back down the school hallway.  
  
"Saturday 9am sharp in the Home-Ec kitchen," Ruby waved, then turned and ran to catch up with Ren.  
  
Twitty slumped backwards, taking a deep breath. "That was CLOSE."  
  
"No kidding," Tawny said. "If she had shown up 10 seconds earlier, she would have heard." Tawny squinted in thought. "Wait a minute. Why WOULD it so be bad?" She leaned across the table, grabbing her bookbag. "At least then she would know how you feel, and more importantly, you would know how SHE feels."  
  
"Please," Twitty said, shouldering his backpack as Tawny got up from the table. "That is SO like the last thing I need right now."  
  
"What do you need right now?" Tawny and Twitty both jumped as Louis seemed to materialize out of thin air. "So," he said, grinning widely, "what have you guys been talking about?"  
  
"Uhm..a..surprise party..for you!" Tawny recovered as Twitty heaved a huge sigh of relief. ".A surprise. 'you're our favorite friend' party!" she finished happily.  
  
"But, I uhm, guess we can't have it now because, you know, you just ruined the surprise," Twitty stammered as the three friends started to walk towards the park gate and head to Louis's house. Tawny and Twitty looked at each other nervously. Louis was the king of junior high con artists. He was SO not going to fall for this!  
  
Louis darted in between Tawny and Twitty, slinging his arm around both their shoulders. "Aw come on guys," Louis said. "I can pretend I didn't hear anything about it. Wait, what were we talking about again? I don't remember," he grinned good-naturedly.  
  
Tawny winked at Twitty, "We weren't talking about anything, Louis."  
  
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As Louis and Tawny escaped to the garage to work out the drum and keyboard solos to one of the band's new songs, Twitty slowly ascended the stairs and peered around the corner to Ren's room. He blinked - the song that had been playing the other day in her room - the sad-sounding one - was on again. He walked closer to the door, and paused outside of it.  
  
"Is that the new all-UK band station?" Twitty asked, smiling as Ren looked up from her desk.  
  
"Yes, it.it is," Ren said, turning down the radio a little. "I thought these guys were U2 when I first heard them. Well," she said, "it was more like the 8th time I had heard it before the DJ said the name of the band, and it was SO not U2." Ren looked up at Twitty's gentle expression, suddenly becoming flustered. What was wrong with her?  
  
"I didn't know you liked U2," Twitty said as he sat down next to her, dropping his bag on the ground.  
  
"I didn't either until a week ago," she said candidly. "I accidentally turned this on and I really liked the songs, and they helped you know, after, well," she said uneasily.  
  
"After Bobby broke up with you?" he asked, looking down at the floor.  
  
Ren's eyes widened. "You knew about that?" Louis wouldn't remember to take his head to school were it not attached to his body, and as far as Ren knew, Louis had no clue about what had happened between her and Bobby last week. So why - I mean how? - would Louis's best friend notice - or care?  
  
Twitty swiftly changed the subject, fiddling with the volume control on the radio and turning the song back up. "Man, I love this song."  
  
"Me too," Ren smiled. "even though I still haven't figured out what it means, exactly. I mean, I don't know, I think it's maybe about a person who really loves this other person, but there are all these negative things that are in between them and it's just too much for the other person for them to get through, maybe. Like an impossible dream, or something." Ren felt her face getting red. She was at a loss as to why she suddenly seemed to be babbling.  
  
Twitty narrowed his eyes in thought. "I don't know - I always thought it was about this guy who really loves this girl, but he has to wait and go through a lot of difficult things because she IS worth it. She's worth - you know - everything to him," Twitty said. He looked at Ren's curious gaze and gulped. It was as if she was looking right through him.  
  
Ren sat back in stunned silence. Alan Twitty was turning out to be NOTHING like she expected.  
  
"So, uhm, anyway," Twitty stammered, fumbling through his book bag. "This is the assignment I need help with." He placed the paper down in front of Ren.  
  
Ren read the assignment and looked up at him, smiling. "Twi-Alan, you did this assignment."  
  
Twitty looked at Ren, confused. "No, actually I didn't. That's why there's a note there from Mr. Nichols saying he's going to give me an 'F' if I don't get it done by tomorrow."  
  
Ren blinked. "No Alan, I mean you did the assignment just now. You know, what you were saying a minute ago?"  
  
Twitty picked up the paper. "I don't know what you're talking about Ren. It says here I have to write a personal analysis of a piece of current popular media."  
  
"You mean," Ren said, "write about what a song that was just on the radio means to you?"  
  
Twitty smiled. "Why didn't he just SAY it that way in the first place?" He impulsively leaned over and hugged Ren. "Thanks Ren."  
  
He suddenly realized what he was doing, and pulled away from her, horrified. What was wrong with him?  
  
But Ren wasn't angry. She looked - well, kind of confused. It wasn't something he was used to seeing from her, and it made him even more uncomfortable.  
  
"So, uhm," he said, jumping to his feet and hastily grabbing his assignment. "I'd better go write down all that stuff I said, so bye." Twitty scowled as he raced down the stairs. He would be lucky if Ren didn't think he was a prime candidate for a mental institution, much less anything else after THAT display of weirdness.  
  
But in her room, Ren was still sitting quietly, tilting her head in thought. Why did Twitty hug me? And more importantly -- why am I kinda happy that he did? 


	3. Chapter 3

That next Monday..  
  
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"See?" Ruby said as Tawny scooped out the last spoonful of frosting for her dessert. "I knew you could do it."  
  
Tawny stepped back, gazing at the double-decker chocolate chip cookie cake.  
  
"You're right, I CAN do this cooking thing," Tawny smiled. "I just had to pick something a bit more realistic than crème brulee." She reached over to grab two plates and forks off the counter. "Want to try it?"  
  
"Are you kidding me?" Ruby smiled, as she took a plate and cut a piece of cake for herself. "What teenage girl in her right mind can say no to chocolate? Besides, we have a few more minutes before the first bell."  
  
"Another Monday, another, well, not a dollar, because we don't get paid to be here. Bad analogy, never mind," Tawny said as she cut herself a piece and sat down next to Ruby.  
  
"Now that you've got the cooking thing all taken care of, is there anything else you need my help with?" Ruby smiled jokingly.  
  
"Well, actually, yes, sort of," Tawny said. She looked out towards the hallway nervously.  
  
"Don't tell me it's English class," Ruby said. "You're practically our school's poet laureate."  
  
"Actually, it's more of a, uhm, social studies problem," Tawny replied. "You see, well, I have this friend. He, I mean THEY, uhm, have really liked this one person for a long time."  
  
Ruby nodded in interest. "Continue."  
  
"Anyway," Tawny explained, "this person has wanted to tell this other person that they liked them, especially since this person just broke up with someone else a week - I mean an unspecified amount of time ago -- but this person is afraid that the other person they like's brother, I mean other person, will be upset because..." Tawny struggled for words.  
  
"Is this about Alan Twitty and Ren?" Ruby asked matter-of-factly.  
  
Tawny's jaw dropped. "How did you KNOW? Has Ren said something about Alan? Oh geez I hadn't even thought to ask you if she had said.."  
  
"No," Ruby said. "Ren hasn't said anything. And neither has Alan, at least not to me anyways."  
  
"Well then, what do you mean? How did you know he likes her?"  
  
"She likes him too, whether or not she realizes it right now," Ruby laughed. "And it's all because of the one huge thing they have in common."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Music, of course," Ruby said. "It's brought them together tons of times. Remember how Ren was the lead singer in Twitty's band, you know, when he and Louis had that fight because Louis didn't want her in their band?" She gazed out the window with a dreamy look on her face. "They already get along really well with each other -- through music, you know, because they both write songs for the band, and Ren sings so naturally to the music Alan plays, you can just tell she has a connection to it. And, there's always been a chemistry between them on stage -- albeit a small one, but nevertheless, it's still there, and noticeable. The hard part is that for someone who is so smart, Ren needs a really, really, REALLY obvious hint to remind her of all that."  
  
Tawny's eyes widened. "I think I have an idea." She jumped out of her seat and walked into the hallway. "We have to find Twitty."  
  
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"Hey Tw-I mean Alan," Ren smiled later that afternoon. "How did the paper go over with Mr. Nichols?"  
  
"Can you believe it?" he grinned, clutching the paper as he sat down next to her. "I got the highest grade in the entire class!"  
  
"That's wonderful!" Ren said as she clapped her hands together. "Can I read it?"  
  
Twitty's eyes widened as he hastily opened his book bag and stuffed the paper inside. "Uhm, well, you see, Mr. Nichols wants me to read it in front of the class before the mentor assembly next week," he gestured vaguely, "And you know since the whole reason I got an A was because of you."  
  
Ren interrupted. "No Alan, YOU wrote that paper and got that A, not me."  
  
Twitty waved dismissively at her. "Like I said, since I got the A because of you helping me and all I - I mean Mr. Nichols -- was hoping you would stop by at the end of class next Friday so you could hear it when the class does."  
  
Ren stared at Twitty, her expression unreadable.  
  
"Uhm, Principal Wexler is going to be there too," he added for some reason. This is useless, he thought to himself. She's smart, she's going to figure this out. She's going to figure ME out, I am such an idiot!.  
  
"I'd absolutely love to," Ren grinned.  
  
Twitty smiled back, relieved. "Great."  
  
"So," Ren said. "Any more assignments you want to go over?  
  
"No, I'm cool. We just have to memorize some vocabulary words for a new test at the end of this week."  
  
"Oh, well, I could help you with that," Ren said eagerly, then looked across the room. gazing at her reflection in the mirror in disbelief. What was she saying? Did she actually want to spend time with Alan Twitty -- on PURPOSE?  
  
"No, that's okay, I got it covered. Oh I almost forgot, I got you something, you know, to thank you for helping me," Twitty said as he stood up and started rummaging through his backpack.  
  
"Alan, that's really not necessary."  
  
"Ah! Here it is," he grinned, laying the bundle on the table.  
  
Curious, Ren opened up the small plastic bag and peered inside. "Oh my gosh." she exclaimed.  
  
"Well, you know, since I know you listen to the UK radio station and everything I figured you might like it," Twitty rambled on as Ren flipped the Police Live! CD back and forth in her hands. "Anyway listen to the second disk, the one that's live in Atlanta. It's really awesome."  
  
"This is so funny - they were playing 'Walking in Your Footsteps" - you know, that song about the dinosaurs and extinction and everything - the live version - the other day and I was so like, I HAVE to get that," she smiled. "Alan Twitty you read my mind!" Ren impulsively jumped up and threw her arms around Twitty.  
  
"Uhm - no, no problem," he stammered.  
  
Suddenly realizing what she had just done, Ren stepped back awkwardly, dropping her gaze in embarrassment. She slowly turned her eyes up and looked at him, brushing the hair out of her face.  
  
I never realized Alan had such nice eyes, she thought.  
  
"Uhm, I gotta, you know, go or something," Twitty said nervously. "Bye now," he said over his shoulder as he raced down the stairs.  
  
Ren dropped back down in her chair, her face contorted in confusion. What was going on? Was it because she had just broken up with Bobby, and so she naturally had developed some sort of bizarre and totally irrational crush- like thing on the first boy who came along and was nice to her? Then again, Bobby had never paid attention to things like what kind of music she liked, much less given her thoughtful gifts like the CD she had gotten today. Ren shook her head. No, no, it HAS to be because of Bobby. Like the rebound crush from another dimension.  
  
That HAS to be the reason, she thought as she opened the CD and gazed at the second disc. Why else would she be feeling so utterly confused about Louis's best friend? 


	4. Chapter 4

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"This isn't going to work, Tawny," Twitty said as he shook the song sheets in his hand. "I knew when you told me in homeroom yesterday about this idea that it wasn't going to work, and now that we're here, I know for a FACT that this isn't going to work."  
  
Tawny put her hands on her hips and shot Twitty an irritated look. "You haven't even tried to play the song you told me about. How do you know this isn't going to work if you don't even try it?"  
  
"Well," Twitty said as he picked up his guitar, "for one thing, we need a bass guitar player. And Beans is......."  
  
"You called?" Beans said, materializing behind Tawny and Twitty with his bass guitar.  
  
Tawny jumped, startled by Beans's sudden appearance. "Beans, you HAVE to stop doing that!"  
  
"Whatever," Beans said, walking up to Twitty and stealing the song sheets away from him. "What are we playing?" Beans looked at the sheets and wrinkled his nose in distaste. "I don't know what half of this song means, but it sounds mushy."  
  
Twitty shook his head and swiped the sheets back out of Beans's hands.  
  
"Hey! I was reading that!" Beans whined.  
  
"Anyway," Twitty continued, "we also need a drummer, and you know that Louis wouldn't like the.."  
  
"I'll have you know I like it just fine," Louis said loudly, startling Tawny and Twitty again as he jauntily strolled through the door.  
  
"Are you taking lessons from Beans or something, Louis?" Tawny said.  
  
"Huh?" Louis asked, leaping down the stairs and into his seat behind the drums. "So, what exactly is it I like now?"  
  
"Nothing," Twitty said quietly, holding the song sheets behind his back.  
  
Tawny narrowed her eyes as she looked at Twitty, then suddenly burst out, "I can't TAKE this anymore! Look Louis, Twitty likes your sister and."  
  
Louis looked up at Tawny and shrugged. "So?"  
  
Twitty's jaw dropped. "WHAT?"  
  
"Tell me something I don't know," Louis said. "Dude it has been like SO obvious to me for the last, oh, probably 2 years or so." He stood up and patted Twitty on the shoulder good-naturedly. "I was just hoping you'd figure it out first before I had to tell you myself."  
  
"But, I thought."  
  
"That I'd freak out and have an earthquake-sized tempter tantrum? Well, " Louis said wistfully, "I actually did last December 4th, but I'm over it now." He smiled proudly. "Remember how the whole town shook, and it was on the news? Oh yeah, that was ME."  
  
Tawny and Twitty looked at each other, stunned, as Louis grabbed the song sheets away from Twitty. "Okay, so when are we going to play this for Ren?"  
  
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Thursday after school.....  
  
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Ren smiled as the last beat of "Surf's Up" echoed throughout the room. "So," she said, looking at her watch, "I guess we're done for today guys?"  
  
"Uhm, not exactly Ren," Louis said. "Twitty's picked out a new song he wants to sing for the end of the first set. So you just go over there and make yourself comfortable."  
  
Ren nodded in confusion, then turned around to sit in the large overstuffed chair. Twitty almost never sang solo leads - they usually did them together, or all as a group.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Tawny started her piano keyboard solo as a look of recognition flashed across Ren's face. She smiled, shaking her head in disbelief, as Twitty started to sing the first verse of the song. The song from the U2-soundalike band. The one whose meaning Ren couldn't put into words, but the one that Twitty - Alan - had easily given the justice it deserved.  
  
Ren had never been serenaded before -- she'd only seen it happen in the movies -- and had always wondered what it would be like. As her gaze locked with Alan's, she felt the room spinning around her, her stomach dropping as if she were on a roller coaster, as Alan's gentle voice moved effortlessly with the music. For those moments, she felt as if she and Alan were the only ones in the entire universe.  
  
Then the song ended and the room went silent. Twitty gazed at Ren pensively. Tawny fidgeted while she looked at Louis, who shrugged in his usual 'don't ask me' way.  
  
Ren felt her eyes tearing up. She felt even more confused than she had on Monday. Why was she feeling even MORE this way - about Alan Twitty? There had to be something wrong with her, more than a rebound crush thing. Maybe - maybe she had eaten a bad burrito at lunch - food poisoning -- of course! That was what made her stomach do flip flops. It certainly could NOT be Alan Twitty, because that would make no sense at all. Her innate rationality struggled to rein in her tumultuous feelings as she stood up, brushing a tear from her face and nodding, trying to gather her mind together enough to say something in response to what had just happened.  
  
"I -- I - I have to go, or something," Ren managed to whisper as she quickly turned and ran up the stairs and out the door.  
  
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Ten minutes later....  
  
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"Come on Twitty," Louis said as Twitty quietly started to put the band equipment away. "I've never seen Ren look so confused before, and you know how sure she is of everything, she probably just doesn't know how to.."  
  
"Thanks Louis," Twitty said quietly. "But I give up."  
  
"Louis is right, you know, "Tawny added. "Even Ruby can tell that Ren has feelings about you. And just now, you could tell she."  
  
"You guys are great friends," Twitty said as he tried to manage a half- smile. "But enough's enough, you know? I tried, and it didn't work. On to better things, right?"  
  
"But." Tawny started as Twitty picked up his guitar and walked up the stairs.  
  
Twitty looked back at them, shrugged, then slowly walked out the door.  
  
Louis squinted and frowned. "He is SO annoying sometimes!"  
  
Tawny rolled her eyes and smirked at Louis. "I wonder who he could possibly have learned that from?"  
  
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	5. Chapter 5

(sorry this is so late! enjoy the last chapter everyone!)   
  
The next day, final class before end of day mentor assembly….  
  
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Twitty walked to his seat very slowly, tossing his backpack by his desk as he sat down and despondently dropped his head into his hands. Louis and Tawny moved next to his desk, looking at Twitty with worried expressions.  
  
"Dude, are you sure you want to do this?" Louis asked.  
  
Twitty looked up and shrugged. "It's not like I have a choice, Louis." He gestured to the front of the room, where Principal Wexler was shaking hands with Mr. Nichols. "He's coming back here later to listen to my essay, the big "success story" of the whole mentor program. Unless I want to get detention for the rest of my life, I think I'd better read the stupid paper."  
  
Tawny tried to manage a smile. "You know, maybe Ren will like………….…"  
  
Twitty looked at Tawny and sighed. "I told you guys that I don't want to talk about that anymore." He pulled the folder with his essay out of his backpack and placed it on his desk. "After this is finished, I don't ever want to talk -- or think -- about how I feel about her again."  
  
Mr. Nichols cleared his throat to get the class' attention as the bell rang. "Class, we will be having some guests today. You all of course know Principal Wexler."  
  
Principal Wexler smiled as several members of the class offered half-hearted applause. Louis looked at Twitty and rolled his eyes goofily.  
  
"Principal Wexler will be coming back later this period to hear Mr. Twitty's brilliant essay." As Principal Wexler smiled and turned towards the door, Mr. Nichols nodded to the class. "Everyone please pick up your copies of Pride and Prejudice so we can discuss pages 30-50."  
  
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About 45 minutes later………..  
  
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"Ah, Principal Wexler, you're just in time," Mr. Nichols smiled. "And I'm sure most of you know…." Mr. Nichols's smile disappeared as he looked around the room. "Ren Stevens?"  
  
Principal Wexler looked around the room nervously. "It's not like Ren to be, to be…" he could barely manage the word, "t, t, tar…."  
  
"Tardy?" Mr. Nichols finished as he looked at Principal Wexler sympathetically. "I'm sorry sir but we only have 4 more minutes left of class, and we simply can't wait for Ms. Stevens to arrive." He waved Twitty towards the front of the class as Principal Wexler sat down, nodding but still looking disconcerted.  
  
Twitty slowly got up, clutching his folder as he walked over to Mr. Nichols' desk. "I have to say that the change in Mr. Twitty's writing skills in the past week has been the most extraordinary I have seen in all my years of teaching," Mr. Nichols said proudly. "Mr. Twitty, will you please read your paper to the class?"   
  
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At the same time, in the 8th grade hallway….  
  
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"Ren!" Ruby hollered, bolting out of study hall and racing towards Ren.  
  
Ren looked nervously at her watch. She only had 45 seconds to get to Mr. Nichols' classroom, although part of her secretly hoped there was some other emergency that only she could solve and would take her away from having to be around Twitty, much less having to hear the essay she had helped him write. Being around Twitty was just too confusing -- and more than anything (even Louis!), Ren despised being confused.  
  
Ruby finally reached Ren. "Tawny – told me – about – what – happened on -- Thursday," she managed in between breaths.   
  
Ren feigned innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking about."  
  
"Come on Ren," Ruby said. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."  
  
Ren put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot in impatience.   
  
"Ren, for someone who is so smart, you're pretty dumb," Ruby said irritatedly as she narrowed her eyes and walked away.  
  
"What?" Ren demanded at Ruby's retreating figure.  
  
Ruby turned around and sighed. "I said for someone who is so smart, you are being really dumb about this."  
  
  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Alan Twitty!" Ruby declared. "Even Louis can tell that he likes you. And as your best friend I can totally tell that you like him too."  
  
Ren forced an amused laugh. "Are you kidding me?"  
  
"NO! I am not kidding! Why would I kid about something like that?" Ruby asked impatiently. "Look Ren, maybe you being tardy for like the first time in your life will help you to figure out how you feel, but I have to go." With that, Ruby gave an exasperated sigh and raced back down the hallway towards study hall.  
  
Ren closed her eyes, trying to rid herself of her feelings. I don't have time for this right now, she thought. I'm going to be late! She spun on her heel and ran towards Mr. Nichols' classroom.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Ren burst into the room to complete silence. Mr. Nichols looked at her questioningly, as Principal Wexler looked towards her with a slight hint of disapproval on his face.  
  
"I'm sure there is a perfectly good explanation as to why you are late, Miss Stevens," Principal Wexler intoned in a rather flat voice.  
  
"Of course sir," Ren declared in an overly happy voice. "I was – uhm – finishing up a psychology project with Ruby." She looked at Louis, who was looking back at her with a stunned expression on his face. His sister, trying to pull off a con, on PRINCIPAL WEXLER? He was SO not going to fall for that!  
  
"Very well," Principal Wexler nodded. "You can pick up your official excuse notice from my office after the assembly."  
  
"Thank you sir," Ren sighed in relief as she sat down at an empty desk in the front row.  
  
"Now Mr. Twitty," Mr. Nichols said, "please continue where you left off."  
  
"Uhm sure, okay," he said, then, after a nervous glance towards Ren, looked back down at his paper. "The main reason I personally really feel a connection to this song is because I feel exactly the way the songwriter does about…………." He hesitated, quickly looking at Ren again then looking back down at his paper, his face reddening, "…………….…..about the girl he……………...uhm…………………....loves."   
  
Ren blinked in surprise at the second part of Twitty's paragraph. She'd known all about the meaning he felt the song had, but the fact that it applied to him personally sparked her curiosity in spite of herself.  
  
"Anyway," Twitty stammered as he struggled to maintain his normally cool composure, "The only problem is, the girl is both amazing and annoying at the same time, but he doesn't care, because the annoying parts are worth having to get through to get to the good parts, and he tells it to her in the first person. He basically says….."   
  
Ren saw a sudden change come over Twitty's demeanor. He dropped the paper to his side and looked straight at her. "You can be really annoying, bossy, and close-minded, and sometimes even try to mess up my life, but your beauty, kindness, self-confidence and heart transform you so much that it's like the negative things don't even exist."  
  
Louis shot a sideways glance at Ren, whose face was getting red.  
  
  
  
"In conclusion," Twitty finished, his gaze leaving Ren and his voice getting smaller, "the point of this song that I think should apply to every one of us is that both physical and personality appearances can be deceiving, and that it's worth the time and effort to see someone for all of what they are, not just all of what you think they are."  
  
The class burst into sporadic applause, clearly enjoying the essay but unsure how to respond, as a depressed-looking Twitty returned to his seat.  
  
  
  
The final bell rang. Twitty leapt up and strode quickly out the door before either Mr. Nichols or Principal Wexler could compliment him.  
  
"That's odd," Principal Wexler said to Mr. Nichols. "I thought it was a fine essay, but Mr. Twitty raced out of here as if he had gotten an F."  
  
Ren looked at the doorway, then slowly turned to look at Louis and Tawny. Tawny gave her a sympathetic look, but Louis's expression was livid.  
  
"Ren?" Principal Wexler asked as he turned to face Ren. "We had better hurry, the assembly starts in 5 minutes."  
  
Ren nodded dumbly at Principal Wexler. She sniffed and quickly wiped her eyes. She was so immersed in her emotions that she wasn't able to think, or feel, what she should do, or say. For some reason she couldn't quite fathom, Ren instinctively turned back to Louis, shrugging in confusion.  
  
"What are you waiting for Ren?" Louis yelled. "GO!"  
  
Ren jumped up and raced out the door.   
  
Principal Wexler raised his eyebrows as Ren disappeared. "Where is she going?"  
  
He glared at Louis.  
  
"STEVENS!!!! Do you mind telling me what is going on here?" he howled.  
  
Louis rested his head on his hands and looked out the window dreamily. "True love, sir. True love."  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
"Alan! Wait!" Ren yelled as she ran out the side door and across the lawn towards Twitty.  
  
Twitty stopped, sighed, and slowly turned in Ren's direction, his eyes downcast. "You're going to be late for your own assembly."  
  
"The assembly can wait," Ren said impatiently. "I have to ask you something."  
  
Twitty forced his eyes back up to look at Ren, fixing his expression into something he hoped would look as apathetic as possible.  
  
"I was wondering if you could tutor me."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I said," Ren said, taking a step closer, "I was wondering if you could tutor me, since you're the expert at letting people know how you feel in such imaginative ways, I was hoping you could help me figure out how to tell someone that they are right about something."  
  
"It depends on what they are right about, I guess," Twitty responded, confused. What was she getting at?  
  
"What if they wanted to say that someone was right about them, exactly, about how they know that they can be really, really annoying, bossy and so close-minded they can't figure out how they feel until maybe it's too late?" Ren looked worriedly at Twitty.  
  
Twitty finally realized what Ren was saying and smiled. "Well, in my experience it's never too late to tell someone how you feel."  
  
Ren smirked. "Do you want a song or an essay?"  
  
"Neither," he grinned as he stepped closer to Ren, put his arms around her, and kissed her.  
  
This is just like that movie with Drew Barrymore, Ren thought happily, when she was a writer who pretended she was in high school, and how when she kissed that perfect guy, everything stopped, except there was no Beach Boys song, and they weren't at a baseball game, and there wasn't any.....  
  
Applause?  
  
The sound of clapping and cheering suddenly jolted her out of her thoughts and both of them out of their kiss. Turning to look at the source of the noise, Twitty and Ren laughed as Louis jumped up and down, whooping and hollering, as Tawny and Ruby clapped loudly and smiled.  
  
Ren smiled shyly at the attention and then turned to look at Twitty. "Alan, would you like to go to the Spring Formal with me tomorrow night?"  
  
He shot her a lopsided grin. "I thought you'd never ask."   
  
Ren playfully raised an eyebrow. "Now, what was it you were trying to tell me before?"  
  
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot," he said as leaned forward, drawing her into another kiss.  
  
"This is so – so -- beautiful!" Principal Wexler cried as he blew his nose into his handkerchief.   
  
Louis turned around to look at him, his arms outstretched. "Sir, do you need a hug?"  
  
Principal Wexler looked at Louis and rolled his eyes. As he started to turn around to go back inside the school, he smiled. "Tell you sister and Mr. Twitty to wrap it up soon, Stevens, we have an assembly to start."  
  
"Will do sir," Louis saluted as Tawny chuckled at him.  
  
"You know," Louis sighed as he looked at Tawny. "Somebody better go to the dance to keep an eye on those two, to make sure they don't mess up things between each other again."  
  
"Louis, what are you saying?" Tawny asked, with one eyebrow raised suspiciously.  
  
"Well you know I just think it would be a really good idea if you went with me to the dance you know, in case anything goes wrong, because we'll need to fix it and stuff…" Louis trailed off as he looked expectantly at Tawny.  
  
"Tawny would love to go to the dance with you, Louis," Ruby said as she moved right next to Tawny.  
  
Tawny shot Ruby an exasperated look, then turned to look at Louis.  
  
"Great!" he said, rubbing his hands together. "Pick you up at 7?"  
  
"Sure, no problem," Tawny said.  
  
"Excellent!" Louis said, giving Tawny a thumbs-up as he bounded away towards Twitty and Ren.   
  
"See? That wasn't so bad was it?" Ruby smiled as they started to walk back into the building.  
  
Tawny turned to look back at Twitty and Ren, chuckling as she watched Louis pop in between Twitty and Ren, manically hugging them both, to Ren's eternal disgust. "I guess you can never have too many happy endings."  
  
The End 


End file.
